Dover board seeks passable millageDOVER — The Dover School Board and Superintendent Jerry Owens implored the public Thursday night to tell them what they needed to change in order to pass a millage increase to fund a middle school building project. In September, nearly 68 percent of voters rejected a proposed 5.5 increase. Owens said his main concern is losing $4.6 million in state funds if the district is unable to pass an increase. “You have three shots election-wise before ...

Tech students support EZ with saleMembers of the Sigma Tau Delta English Honor Society aren’t just good students — they’re good citizens as well. The honor society recently staffed a book sale for Equestrian Zone at Vintage Books and raised $1,026 for the organization. Dr. Paola Gemme, English professor at Arkansas Tech University and faculty sponsor for Sigma Tau Delta, said she thought the book sale was a good fit for both groups. Gemme’s son does speech therapy at Equestria...

ATU College of Arts and Humanities submits notification lettersA departmental name change, a splitting of one degree into two and a new online learning opportunity are on their way to the Arkansas Tech University College of Arts and Humanities following action by the ATU Board of Trustees during Thursday’s regular meeting. Trustees approved a letter of notification that will change the name of the Department of Speech, Theater and Journalism to the Department of Communication and Journalism effective July...

Veterans are flocking to college as wars wind down TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — Adam Fisher isn’t your typical college freshman. At 25, he’s older than most of his classmates. He’s married, too. And while most of his fellow students spent the past couple years in high school, Fisher was dodging bullets and roadside bombs in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now a civilian, Fisher is trying to make the transition from the battlefields to the classrooms of the University of Toledo. About two months into a new missio...

Bill advances to lower teacher insurance hikes LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas lawmakers advanced proposals Thursday to increase funding for teacher insurance, as they opened a special session aimed at reducing rate increases of up to 50 percent set to hit next year. The Joint Budget Committee endorsed a plan to use $43 million from the state surplus this year to reduce the premium increases. Identical versions of the proposal now head to the House and Senate. Proposals to redirect money to te...

AG counters in fight over LR-area school cashLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas’ top lawyer said Thursday the state would be willing to split $119 million among three school districts to end a long-running desegregation case scheduled to be taken up by a federal judge in December. The Little Rock School District last month offered to drop all court proceedings in return for $297 million — in a lump sum or spread out over seven years — as well as reduced state oversight of Arkansas’ largest scho...

Board approves RSD bonusesThe Russellville School Board approved district-wide bonuses at its regular meeting Tuesday evening. Business Manager Nathan Barber recommended the board at this time approve bonuses rather than salary schedule changes. “Bonuses are a one-time expenditure,” Barber said. “The district has good, strong numbers this year.” The board approved $800 bonuses for all certified employees and $600 bonuses for all classified employees. Bonuses will be aw...

Beebe calls special session on insurance LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Lawmakers will come back to the Capitol this week after Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe on Wednesday called a special session to consider an increase in funding for the state's teacher insurance program. Beebe issued a proclamation calling for the session to begin Thursday afternoon, with lawmakers expected to work through Saturday on the plan, which would lower insurance premium hikes set to take effect next year. "I would not be ...

RHS Interact Club officers receive international awardFour Russellville High School Interact Club officers (Mason Rhodes, Rebekah Cole, Brooke Knight, and Morgan Burris) received the 2012-13 Rotary International Presidential Citation for Interact Clubs from Russellville Downtown Rotary Club past president Sandra Cheffer at a recent Rotary meeting. In order to receive such a citation, clubs had to participate in various activities. RHS Interact club met at least twice monthly, assigned every club ...

LR schools offer to phase out desegregation money LITTLE ROCK (AP) — A proposal by the Little Rock School District to phase out desegregation payments it receives from Arkansas is a “non-starter,” Attorney General Dustin McDaniel said Tuesday, because it attaches too many conditions. McDaniel told a legislative panel he’d received an offer from the district that would end the payments from the state under a 1989 agreement. That agreement requires Arkansas to fund magnet schools, transfers bet...

EAST students making a real difference in RussellvilleMore than 20 Russellville Junior High School students will host their annual “EAST Night Out” on Tuesday inside the school’s EAST classroom. Beginning at 4 p.m., EAST students will present visitors with an overview of the EAST program and will demonstrate a sample of the community work and service provided and facilitated by their EAST program. The event is come and go from 4-6 p.m. EAST Night Out at RJHS is open to the public and is designed ...

Annual ATU Family Day coming SaturdayEven though it is one of the oldest traditions at Arkansas Tech University, Family Day continues to evolve to provide ATU students and their families with an opportunity to enjoy a full day of activities. Parents, siblings, grandparents and other family members of ATU students will converge on Russellville on Saturday to spend a day on campus and observe how their college student is adapting to life at Arkansas Tech. “Success in college is dep...

AHS group plans tour of EuropeDuring spring break, a group of at least 10 Atkins High School (AHS) students, four parents and a teacher will take a 10-day tour of Europe. Teacher Chance Duncan will lead the group, which will leave March 22 and return March 31, on an Education First (EF) Tour. Duncan has taught science at AHS for five years and said he’s been wanting to take a group for a long time. “I’m extremely excited,” he said. “I took a tour as senior at Dardanelle [H...

Court partially revives school-funding case LITTLE ROCK (AP) — The Arkansas Supreme Court on Thursday revived part of a lawsuit challenging the way the state funds education, ruling that the case raised new issues that have emerged since a landmark school-funding legal fight was resolved six years ago. Justices reversed part of a Pulaski County judge’s decision dismissing a lawsuit by the Deer/Mount Judea School District that claims the state has not complied with laws that were enacted...

Owners of Cowboys, 49ers aid school LITTLE ROCK (AP) — The owners of two NFL teams with ties to the same all-boys Arkansas parochial school announced Thursday they and an anonymous donor had pledged nearly $10 million to a school fundraising campaign that will pay for modernized classrooms, an updated athletic field and air conditioning. San Francisco 49ers owner John York graduated from Little Rock’s Catholic High School in 1967, and the sons of Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones...

American adults score poorly on global test WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s long been known that America’s school kids haven’t measured well compared with international peers. Now, there’s a new twist: Adults don’t either. In math, reading and problem-solving using technology — all skills considered critical for global competitiveness and economic strength — American adults scored below the international average on a global test, according to results released Tuesday. Adults in Japan, Canada, Au...

School districts appeal PILT cutsSuperintendents from Dover and Hector school districts asked the county’s governing body last week to reconsider cutting federal forestry funds to the schools. In July, the Pope County Quorum Court voted to discontinue dispersing payment in lieu of taxes (PILT) funds to the county’s library system and all area schools except for Dover and Hector, with stated plans to phase out all outside disbursements by 2015. On Thursday, Dover Superintenden...

SLC presents 50+ awardsThe Secondary Learning Center (SLC) presented 40 students with more than 50 awards at its first awards ceremony and cookout. SLC is a program designed to help students who have fallen behind on credits get back on track. It is a branch of Russellville High School whose students range from 14 to 19 years old. Students received awards for academic and personal achievements and were given appreciation gifts from area businesses. “Tonight was a ve...

School Boards approve budgetsSeveral Arkansas River Valley school boards approved budgets and personnel changes and the Dover School District (DSD) considered public input at recent meetings. Following the rejection of a proposed millage increase to fund school renovations in the annual school election, DSD invited opponents of the measure to participate in a focus group meeting in an effort to find a compromise. “The meeting was very positive,” Superintendent Jerry Owens...

Russellville Fire Department Reminds Residents to 'Prevent Kitchen Fires’It's time for Fire Prevention Week, and from October 6-12 the Russellville Fire Department is joining forces with the nonprofit National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) to remind Russellville residents to ‘Prevent Kitchen Fires.' During this year's fire safety campaign, fire departments will be spreading the word about the dangers of kitchen fires--most of which result from unattended cooking—and teaching local residents how to prevent kitc...